COMPREHENSIVE STANDARD 3.5.1 (CS-P15):

The institution identifies college-level competencies within the general education core and provides evidence that graduates have attained those competencies.

Comments:

The institution has identified college-level competencies within the general education core but did not provide evidence that graduates have attained those competencies. The General Education Outcomes (GEO) Forum resulted in six recommendations which address a plan for compliance. The plan has been implemented but results will not be available until March 2005. The institution should provide evidence that progress has been made on the plan. The institution should also provide program review documents, information from transfer institutions, and other supporting documents to determine if graduates have attained the general education competencies.

Response:

Collin County Community College District (CCCCD) offers for review (1) evidence that progress has been made relative to the Action Plan submitted in the District’s 2004 Compliance Certification, (2) program review documents, (3) information from transfer destination universities, and (4) other supporting documentation that graduates have attained general education competencies.

Evidence that progress has been made relative to the Action Plan submitted in the District’s 2004 Compliance Certification:

CCCCD continues to complete the tasks specified in its Action Plan (Reference 1). The General Education Outcomes (GEO) Forum met on June 25, 2004, and finalized its draft report and recommendations (Reference 2). The report was submitted to CCCCD’s Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs and will be discussed by the Academic Deans at the next Deans’ Council and subsequently reviewed by the Curriculum Advisory Board (CAB) and the Leadership Team. Once the recommendations have been reviewed by these District committees, modified as necessary, and approved, implementation will begin Fall 2004.

Pending the adoption of the GEO Forum’s recommendations, three activities will be initiated beginning in Fall 2004. First, the generic syllabi for all general education courses will be required to include all six basic intellectual competencies and all appropriate core area learning objectives. Second, faculty members who teach core courses will work with their deans to document the methods used to assess student learning, relative to the basic intellectual competencies and core area learning objectives. Third, the Institutional Research Office (IRO) will work with CAB and the administration to develop a new format for an annual report on student perceptions of learning gains relative to general education competencies/objectives. In addition, IRO will expand its efforts to collect data and report on transfer success and baccalaureate attainment of students who complete CCCCD’s core curriculum.

Program review documents:

CCCCD conducts an extensive and ongoing process of program and service review, managed by the Institutional Research Office (IRO), in which every instructional program and support service is evaluated every five years (Reference 3). Program review instruments are attached (References 4, 5, 6).

The process is revised annually based on feedback from faculty and staff participants. IRO is currently updating its evaluation instruments for transfer programs for FY2005 to include new items requesting faculty members who teach core disciplines to document more explicitly (1) the integration of core competencies and core area learning objectives in general education courses, (2) tools used to measure attainment of those competencies and objectives, and (3) student attainment of the core competencies and learning objectives (Reference 7).

Information from transfer destination universities:

CCCCD’s IRO annually requests information from a number of universities (the primary transfer destinations of CCCCD students) regarding the subsequent performance of CCCCD students after they transfer. CCCCD’s most frequent transfer destinations have been (in descending order of number of transfers) the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of North Texas (UNT), the University of Texas at Austin, Texas Tech University, Texas Woman’s University, Baylor University, Texas A&M University at College Station, Texas A&M University at Commerce, Texas State University at San Marcos, Stephen F. Austin University, the University of Texas at Arlington (UT-A), and Southern Methodist University.

Data related to the performance of CCCCD students after they transfer has been compiled from all responding institutions (Reference 8). Of the primary transfer destinations, only UNT and UT-A have consistently provided data that allow CCCCD to compare former students’ GPAs earned at the transfer institutions with GPAs earned by other transfer students or by native students (Students who begin higher education at one institution and persist to graduation at the same institution). At UNT, CCCCD students have consistently performed at levels at least equal to other transfer students and native students. At UT-A, CCCCD students have experienced success but with varying results.

Privacy issues occasionally hinder the efforts of CCCCD in acquiring student level data that would allow more thorough collection of student subsequent performance data. The available information is considered in the evaluation of the quality of the general education core curriculum.

Other supporting documentation that graduates have attained general education competencies:

Since 1998, CCCCD’s IRO has administered the Community College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CCSEQ) to the entire population of its degree and certificate recipients. In 2004, the population is being expanded to include core curriculum completers. CCCCD’s IRO has steadily increased the response rate to about 40% on the mailed survey.

Information from the CCSEQ items related to students’ perceived learning gains has been compiled (Reference 9). Among these items are several statements that focus on learning objectives embodied in CCCCD’s general education core curriculum. In 1998, the CCCCD score was lower than that of the national comparison group in developing an understanding of art, music, and theater; developing and understanding literature; understanding mathematical concepts; developing an interest in political and economic events; seeing the importance of history; learning about other parts of the world and other people; and developing good health habits and physical fitness.

In response, CCCCD has implemented several programs that support core disciplines. The Honors Institute, Center for Advanced Study in Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and an Emerging Scholars Program have been established to strengthen the quality of study in core areas. In addition, the College’s theater and dance programs have received national recognition. CCCCD’s learning communities and service-learning programs strengthen the integration of learning across disciplines and have also received national recognition.

The cumulative result has been the improvement of students’ perceptions of learning gains; CCCCD’s mean responses now exceed the means for the national comparison group (Reference 9).

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS: